Nagaland is one of the world’s biodiversity hot spots with rich species diversity as well as genetic diversity and the indigenous people of this geographical region have diverse forms of indigenous technological knowledge to apply to this biological diversity (Nature)to meet their demands and needs of foods and medicinal aspects to sustain life since time Immemorial, but as our indigenous knowledge nor our endemic plants and animals are not (cared from biopiracy) patented due to our unawareness or lack of knowledge of biopiracy, with advancement in science and technology especially in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering, people from the foreign elite corporates have histories of inculcating/ transferring of these genetic materials and the ITKs and get patented without prior permissions for profit making of the corporates. In fact, many of the floral and the fauna diversities in Nagaland are endemic to the region and yet many plants and animals species may not have been discovered as the entire Nagaland’s geographical region is stiff and poorly covered by Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India alike.
Biopiracy,literally means Patenting of life or use of the indigenous knowledge of nature without permission of the financial gain. In biopiracy, genetic materials from plants and animals and other genetic materials that are long being developed are owned by companies and manufacturers through patents which usually are done without prior consent. It’s also a practice in which indigenous knowledge of nature, originating with indigenous people is used by others for profit, without authorization or compensation to the indigenous people themselves.
Biopiracy is more prevalent in developing countries where there is a lack of awareness and availability of legal protection for traditional knowledge and lack of funding for required research for commercialization of natural resources.
There is a need to check or stop biopiracy happening in our country India particularly in Nagaland, the competent Govt. authority must impart strict vigilance law to prevent allies from patenting of biological materials of our origin or else our local people would have less, if not none at all, access to those developments which is possibly our original idea or discovery in the first place and those granted the patent would have exclusive rights to their inventions and therefore, raise prices according to their will.
Jess T Murry
Chairman
Green Succession of Nagaland State
Green-SONS
